How a writer's position shaped what a source says
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Cieza on Inca roads
Who made it: Pedro de Cieza de León, a Spanish soldier and official chronicler of Peru. When: about 1550 (he died in 1554). Where: Peru. For whom: readers in Spain. Why: to record the lands and peoples of Peru. Excerpt (Cieza de León, Chronicle of Peru, part 2, chapter 15; English translation by Clements R. Markham, 1883, p. 42): "One of the things which I admired most, in contemplating and noting down the affairs of this kingdom, was to think how and in what manner they can have made such grand and admirable roads as we now see… In some places, to secure the regular width, it was necessary to hew [cut] a path out of the living rock; all which was done with fire and their picks. In other places the ascents were so steep and high that steps had to be cut from below to enable the ascent to be made, with wider spaces at intervals for resting-places."
Which part of Cieza's excerpt is a description you could check on the ground, Milo asks?
- Cieza admired them most
- Steps were cut in steep places
- The roads were grand and admirable
- No one could ever build better
Cieza compares the roads
Who made it: Pedro de Cieza de León, a Spanish soldier and official chronicler of Peru. When: about 1550 (he died in 1554). Where: Peru. For whom: readers in Spain. Why: to record the lands and peoples of Peru. Excerpt (Cieza de León, Chronicle of Peru, part 2, chapter 15; English translation by Clements R. Markham, 1883, p. 42): "For it seems to me that if the Emperor should desire to give orders for another royal road to be made, like that which goes from Quito to Cuzco, or the other from Cuzco to go to Chile, with all his power I believe that he could not get it done…"
Cieza compares the Inca roads with what his own Emperor could do. Why might he make that comparison, Pia asks?
- To mock the roads
- Because he was an Inca
- To impress readers in Spain
- Because the Emperor built the roads
Cieza on Inca roads
Who made it: Pedro de Cieza de León, a Spanish soldier and official chronicler of Peru. When: about 1550 (he died in 1554). Where: Peru. For whom: readers in Spain. Why: to record the lands and peoples of Peru. Excerpt (Cieza de León, Chronicle of Peru, part 2, chapter 15; English translation by Clements R. Markham, 1883, p. 42): "One of the things which I admired most, in contemplating and noting down the affairs of this kingdom, was to think how and in what manner they can have made such grand and admirable roads as we now see… In some places, to secure the regular width, it was necessary to hew [cut] a path out of the living rock; all which was done with fire and their picks. In other places the ascents were so steep and high that steps had to be cut from below to enable the ascent to be made, with wider spaces at intervals for resting-places."
Cieza was a Spanish soldier and chronicler. What would his position help him see, Ren asks?
- Nothing worth noting
- How the Inca themselves felt about the roads
- The roads, firsthand, as he traveled
- The roads in 2026
What might Cieza's position make it hard for him to know, Tala asks?
- Where he was traveling
- What the roads looked like
- How the Inca themselves saw the roads
- That roads existed
For what question is Cieza's excerpt most useful, Zee asks?
- How the roads crossed steep, rocky ground
- What Inca rulers thought
- How roads look in 2026
- How long the whole road network was, in km
Cieza on shelters
Who made it: Pedro de Cieza de León, a Spanish soldier and official chronicler of Peru. When: about 1550 (he died in 1554). Where: Peru. For whom: readers in Spain. Why: to record the lands and peoples of Peru. Excerpt (Cieza de León, Chronicle of Peru, part 2, chapter 15; English translation by Clements R. Markham, 1883, p. 43): "In the snowy wildernesses and plains, shelter-houses were built, where travellers could take refuge from the cold and rain."
Cieza mentions shelter-houses for travelers. What does that show about the roads, Ari asks?
- They were in Spain
- They were built for wheeled carts and wagons
- No one traveled on them
- They were planned to help travelers
Cieza on Inca roads
Who made it: Pedro de Cieza de León, a Spanish soldier and official chronicler of Peru. When: about 1550 (he died in 1554). Where: Peru. For whom: readers in Spain. Why: to record the lands and peoples of Peru. Excerpt (Cieza de León, Chronicle of Peru, part 2, chapter 15; English translation by Clements R. Markham, 1883, p. 42): "One of the things which I admired most, in contemplating and noting down the affairs of this kingdom, was to think how and in what manner they can have made such grand and admirable roads as we now see… In some places, to secure the regular width, it was necessary to hew [cut] a path out of the living rock; all which was done with fire and their picks. In other places the ascents were so steep and high that steps had to be cut from below to enable the ascent to be made, with wider spaces at intervals for resting-places."
Cieza admired the roads. Does that make his account useless, Bo asks?
- Yes: any opinion ruins a source for good
- No: his descriptions are still useful
- Yes: soldiers can't write
- No: so each word is fact
Cieza compares the roads
Who made it: Pedro de Cieza de León, a Spanish soldier and official chronicler of Peru. When: about 1550 (he died in 1554). Where: Peru. For whom: readers in Spain. Why: to record the lands and peoples of Peru. Excerpt (Cieza de León, Chronicle of Peru, part 2, chapter 15; English translation by Clements R. Markham, 1883, p. 42): "For it seems to me that if the Emperor should desire to give orders for another royal road to be made, like that which goes from Quito to Cuzco, or the other from Cuzco to go to Chile, with all his power I believe that he could not get it done…"
Esme's note says, "Cieza proves no ruler in Europe could build such roads." Which fix is right?
- Change it: Cieza believed no one could
- Change "roads" to "ships"
- Leave it: he was there
- Change "Cieza" to "the Inca"
Cieza on Inca roads
Who made it: Pedro de Cieza de León, a Spanish soldier and official chronicler of Peru. When: about 1550 (he died in 1554). Where: Peru. For whom: readers in Spain. Why: to record the lands and peoples of Peru. Excerpt (Cieza de León, Chronicle of Peru, part 2, chapter 15; English translation by Clements R. Markham, 1883, p. 42): "One of the things which I admired most, in contemplating and noting down the affairs of this kingdom, was to think how and in what manner they can have made such grand and admirable roads as we now see… In some places, to secure the regular width, it was necessary to hew [cut] a path out of the living rock; all which was done with fire and their picks. In other places the ascents were so steep and high that steps had to be cut from below to enable the ascent to be made, with wider spaces at intervals for resting-places."
Jun's note says, "Cieza was an Inca road builder." Which fix is right?
- Change "Inca" to "Roman"
- Change it: he was a Spanish soldier and chronicler
- Change "builder" to "merchant"
- Leave it: he describes the roads, so he built them
Kira's note says, "Cieza wrote for Inca readers." Which fix is right?
- Change "Cieza" to "Polo"
- Leave it: the book is about the Inca
- Change "Inca readers" to "readers in Spain"
- Change "wrote" to "sang"
